


That Time I woke up in Fairy Tail

by the_black_wizard34



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Adventure, Natsu is smart, Not Canon Compliant, Taking Canon and Throwing It Out The Window, fairy tail - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:27:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29865678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_black_wizard34/pseuds/the_black_wizard34
Summary: When Sarah wakes up one morning, she discovers that she has transported from her world and into Magnolia. There, she joins Fairy Tail to go on adventures with them while searching for a way back home.
Relationships: Zeref Dragneel/Mavis Vermillion
Comments: 10
Kudos: 1





	1. Where did I wake up?

Someone pulled the fire alarm and it wasn't me. This time, at least. I grab my backpack and scurry out of the classroom. Hopefully, I don't get into trouble. I have been caught pulling the fire alarm before but I always had a good reason. At least, a good enough reason that I didn't get suspended for too long. I head over to my classroom's area to evacuate. It's raining outside. Of course, it is! I grumble to myself, holding my backpack above my head to keep myself from getting too wet. It had been sunny when I was walking to school so I hadn't brought along my raincoat nor did I have an umbrella. One of the popular girls in my grade, Brittany, has an umbrella. She's always prepared for situations like this. And everyone else has a raincoat. Why am I the only one who has to be soaking wet?

  
"Sarah!" a teacher shouts. "Was this you?"

  
I yelp. "No!" I call out. "I was in class! I have witnesses!"

  
"She was!" Brittany says. "I was sitting next to her. She didn't leave the room for any reason whatsoever."

  
I smile gratefully at the girl. I hadn't expected her to be my alibi and witness. She walks over to me and holds her umbrella over the both of us.

  
"Oh! Thanks," I sigh in relief, taking my backpack off my head.

  
"No problem."

  
We stand outside in the rain for a good thirty minutes. Luckily, the fire alarm was pulled towards the end of the day so we got dismissed after they finished checking the building. The rain has stopped. Thank goodness. I don't live very far from the school so I'm one of the few who walk home. I speedwalk back to my house. My new book is waiting for me at home and I am eager to read it.

  
I throw open the front door, wincing as it crashed against the wall. I wince. Whoops, definitely didn't mean to do that. I throw off my shoes and coat and run upstairs. My book is sitting on my bed right where I left it. I dive onto my bed, snatching up the book and opening it. No sooner than ten seconds after I open my book, my mom knocks on the door and enters.

  
"Mom!" I complain, marking my place in the book. With a bookmark. I am not a monster who dog-ears her pages. Although if you dog-ear your pages, you're not really a monster. I just like to joke that you're one.

  
Mom turns on my desk lamp. "Did you do your homework?" she asks.

  
"I will as soon as I finish this chapter," I promise.

  
Mom gives me a meaningful look. I know exactly what she means with that look. We both know that one chapter becomes two and two becomes three and I would never get my homework done. I sigh and set aside my book, crawling off the bed to sit at the desk.

  
"Good." Mom smiles. "You know the rules. Homework before pleasure. If you had kept reading, you would have ended pulling an all-nighter. I'm glad you're a bookworm, I really am. There are worse things you could be doing. Now, do you think you can keep your attention on your work, or do I have to keep your book until you're finished?"

  
I sigh again. "You should take it," I say reluctantly. I know that I will never finish my homework with that temptation in my room.

  
Mom kisses the top of my head and leaves with my book. "Dinner is in a couple of hours," she says as she leaves.

  
I ignore my grumbling stomach. It can wait until dinner to get food into it. I open my textbook to read the chapter. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can read my book.

  
The next morning...

  
I hate mornings. Well, that's not entirely accurate. I hate staying up late at night as well and prefer to wake up early. But when that morning is a school day, I hate it. I want the weekend to come so I can sit and read all day. I yawn and get out of bed, heading to the bathroom. As I pass the mirror, I catch sight of my reflection. Holy moly, I look a mess. My pink hair is sticking up everywhere. Wait...pink hair?! What the heck happened?

  
*record scratch to a halt* Hi. I just realized that I never properly introduced myself. I'm pretty forgetful so forgive me if I accidentally leave out important information. My name is Sarah and I am seventeen years old. As you saw, I now have pink hair. No, that is not its normal color. Anyway, this morning I woke up and discovered that I am in an anime. Thank goodness it's an anime I actually know and I didn't wake up in something like Attack on Titan. No hate to that anime. I haven't seen it (yet) but it seems like a lot of fighting and I don't want to get killed. I don't know how I transported worlds but I don't want to be stuck here. Like, it's cool that I'm here but I don't want to stay forever, ya know? It seems that I have transported to Earthland, the world of Fairy Tail which is pretty cool. Now that's cleared out of the way and I have rambled for quite a while, let's resume the story!


	2. Let's Join Fairy Tail!

First, I need to find out where my location in Earthland is. I need a window. Where are the windows?! I don't know where anything is. Oh, there's one. Cool. I push aside the curtain and look out into the world. Let's see...I see a cathedral in the distance. Is that Kardia Cathedral? That means I'm in Magnolia. Oh, that makes things a whole lot easier! If I find Fairy Tail, maybe they can help me get back home! I hurry toward the door. It seems like I woke up in an apartment similar to Lucy's. As my hand closes around the knob, I realize that I'm wearing my pajamas. I can't go out like this! Wait, are there any clothes I can wear here? I run around, trying to find the closet or any clothes. No clothes. I look down at my pajamas. Well, I guess I could go out in them. It's nothing embarrassing. It's just a random old shirt I had and flannel pants. But shoes. I don't have shoes! I shrug. I guess I'll have to go barefoot. I sigh. Hopefully, the Guild can get me some clothes.

I walk along the streets of Magnolia. It's a dream come true to actually be in Fairy Tail! I couldn't help skipping a bit as I walk. Who wouldn't? I can't help humming to one of my favorite Fairy Tail openings, Strike Back. No one knows what song I'm humming so it should be fine. Ooh, there's the Guild building! I pick up the pace, trying to figure out where in the story I am. It's the second Guild building which means I'm somewhere in between the Phantom Lord arc and the Tartaros Arc. Well, that doesn't help me at all! Phantom Lord arc takes place toward the beginning of the show and the Tartatos arc is one of the last arcs before the final season! Maybe if I talk with someone, that'll help me figure out where in the story I am.

I enter the guild, grinning. My dream can come true of joining Fairy Tail. I yelp as I narrowly duck a flying table. A _table_. Who threw that? Elfman? Well, like in true Fairy Tail fashion, the guild was fighting as usual. Wanna bet Natsu and Gray started it? I look around at the fighting guild members. Romeo isn't big which means I'm here before the seven-year skip which means this is before the Tenrou Island arc which means they haven't met Zeref yet. But again, WHICH ARC IS THIS? Ooh, I think I see Lisanna which means we're after Edolas. Good, I'm narrowing things down. Wait a second. After Edolas arc but before the seven-year time skip. That means the next arc is going to be the Tenrou Island arc. Okay, I can work with that. But I want to get on Tenrou so I can spend seven years stuck with them which will bring the Grand Magic Games arc which is my favorite arc. Maybe I can help Natsu with Zeref.

"Can I help you?" I turn. And squeal like a fangirl. Well, I am one.

"You're Mirajane!" I cry happily. "Oh my gosh, you're one of my favorite members of Fairy Tail! Your Take Over magic is amazing!"

"Oh! Thank you!" Mira says, smiling. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was hoping that I could speak to Master Makarov," I say. "I need some help."

"Master is currently away," Mira replies. "In the meantime, come inside!"

I nod, outwardly smiling but also confused. To my knowledge, Gramps never left the guild in between the arcs. Unless...there's a secret arc in between the arcs I know of. That makes everything a whole lot harder. Also, why am I here? How did I get here? At least this is after Edolas so the thought of another world won't be strange to them.

"Natsu!" the sudden roar freezes my blood. Oh no. I know that voice. I shrink in my seat at the bar as Erza Scarlet, Titania herself, storms towards Natsu. The Dragon Slayer grins. He's an idiot. But it is Natsu so why am I surprised?

I jump over the counter and duck behind it, expecting stuff to fly. I did not want to be caught up in a fight, not yet at least. Maybe if I learned magic then I could participate. And learned how to fight.

"So, Mira," I say, "where is Master Makarov?"

"Emergency Council meeting," Mira replies as she watches stuff fly.

I frown. There shouldn't be an emergency Council meeting at this point in the story. At least, I don't think so. Give me a break for not remembering every single detail of the show. And no, I haven't read the manga. But the show aired for like ten years and there's like 300 some episodes so who can remember every single detail? I remember the arcs fairly well but not the filler stuff. Unless the story has been changed because of my presence? That was a possibility, no? What if too much stuff has been changed so that I won't know the story anymore? The only way to find out was to strike up a conversation.

"Mira," I say. The Take Over mage is the only one I can have a conversation with since everyone is fighting. "You and Elfman must be glad to have Lisanna back, no?"

Mira nods. "She has been going on several missions with Juvia," she says. "It's always nice to have her back from them."

I frown. That's...not what I meant. "I mean," I begin when I catch sight of another figure. Mystogan. I freeze. What? At this point in the story, he should be in Edolas! Unless that's Jellal pretending to be Mystogan. But no, that happens in the GMGs. "Is that Mystogan?"

Mira nods. "He usually only comes back when Master is here," she says.

"I thought he puts everyone to sleep when he comes," I say to myself as everyone remains awake.

This is weird. Something in the story has definitely changed. They haven't gone to Edolas yet since Mystogan is still here. He kicks off that arc when he meets with Wendy and Carla. But Lisanna is here. Did that mean that she never "died"? Okay, I'm in trouble. I can't tell Gramps about another world since they don't know about Edolas. I need to come up with another story and I can't let them know that I'm from a different world and know everything about them. Okay, maybe not everything. I don't know who the Strauss siblings' parents are. Maybe Zeref could help me? I feel like he knows a lot of stuff. But he's also probably in Alvarez or on Tenrou. He and Mavis would know a whole bunch of stuff. They might know about Edolas. But the thought of asking the Black Wizard himself all by myself is terrifying so I drop that idea.

I scan the guildmembers. Who's here? There's Wendy and Carla hiding under a table with Lucy. Good, they're here. It looks like all the members of Fairy Tail are here. So, everyone joined Fairy Tail but the story isn't the same? I watch Natsu as he brawls with the others. I wonder if he knows who he truly is. Probably not.

Two hours later... (Nothing happens except guildmembers fighting so I may as well skip)

I grin gleefully at the blue Fairy Tail mark on my upper arm. I can't believe that I'm a member of the guild! I'm only a waitress for now since we don't know what kind of magic I can use if I can use it at all. But hey, I'm a Fairy Tail member. That's good enough for me.

"Hey, Emylia," Lucy says as she takes a seat at the bar. Yes, I gave myself a new name while staying here.

"Hi!" I say, still grinning like an idiot. "I can't believe I joined Fairy Tail. It's been a dream of mine ever since...um, ever since I was little." I can't say "ever since I saw the show"! I'm not doing a very good job at keeping my cover.

Lucy grins. "I know, right!" she cries. "I'm still a fairly new member but I'm so glad I did!"

"Out of curiosity," I say, "how many keys do you have? All twelve?"

Lucy laughs. "No, not yet," she says. "I have ten and some silver keys."

Ten? That means she has Virgo, Leo, Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus, Aries, Sagittarius, Gemini, Cancer, and Capricorn. Wait, Capricorn? He comes in the Tenrou arc! What is going on?

"So," I say casually, "have the S-Class trials already happen?"

Lucy nods, grinning. "Cana Alberona is now a S-Class mage," she says, then leans in and whispers conspiratorially, "but if you ask me, Natsu, Gray, and I already did a S-Class quest and completed it so we should S-Class mages as well."

I giggle and nod but my mind is working at a thousand miles per hour. The S-Class trials have already happened? Cana is an S-Class mage? That means the Tenrou arc already happened but they didn't get stuck for seven years! What was going to happen? Did that mean the Grand Magic Games arc would never happen? They did that because during the seven years, Fairy Tail became the weakest guild and the GMGs proved we were still the strongest. I groan internally. This...was not good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave feedback. It helps me to grow as a writer. Also, this story is also on Wattpad if you want to read it there as well. Same title, same username.


	3. I might be in trouble now

"Breathe, Sarah," I whisper to myself. I'm hiding out in the basement of the guild as I pace back and forth, trying to figure out what the heck is happening. "The story has changed. You can't rely on your knowledge anymore. We're just going to have to go along. This is our life now. We can do this. Maybe I can get to the Alvarez Empire. The Spriggan and Zeref probably know a lot about other worlds, right?"

"You know the Spriggan 12 and Zeref?" a voice demands, breaking into my thoughts. I yelp, spinning around. I'm supposed to be alone down here! A familiar pink-haired Dragon Slayer enters the basement. Oh no. Wait. Does _he_ know the Spriggan 12 and Zeref?

"What?" I ask, trying to play cool. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard you," Natsu says. Okay, this isn't the usual loveable idiot I'm familiar with. He looks like he knows too much. I don't like this. "Dragon Slayers have good hearing. You said Spriggan and Zeref. What do you know about them?"

"Nothing!" I squeak. Then curious, and also because _I'm_ an idiot, I say, "What do you know of them?"

Natsu shakes his head. "I've heard their name about," he says. "It's nothing."

I take a gamble. "Is, is Zeref your brother?" I ask, tensing.

Natsu looks at me sharply. "How do you know that?" he demands, striding toward me. "No one here knows that!"

Oookay. If he knows Zeref is his brother, then there's a chance he knows that he's END. "I've been sent by your brother," I lie. "He's worried about you." You know, he probably is. Why did I say that? Now my bluffing job is harder!

"Zeref sent you," Natsu repeats. He shrugs. "Go tell him that I'm fine."

I gesture to my guildmark. "I can't just leave," I say. "I'm a Fairy Tail member now. Um, quick question. Have you heard of Edolas?"

"Edo-what?"

"K, I'll take that as a no. I have another question for you and please, don't kill me." I take a deep breath. "Do you know who END is?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Where did you hear that name?" he asks instead.

"Okay, you're not going to believe me if I tell you the truth," I say. "Depending on what your brother knows, he might believe me."

"Tell me anyway."

I nod. "Okay then. I'm from a different world. In that world, Fairy Tail and Earthland and all the other guilds are works of fiction. You're one of the most amazing shows there are! Anyway, that's how I know everything. Except the story right now is not going the way it went in my world. Lisanna died when she was young. Well, 'died'. She went to another world where you have counterparts and everyone was opposite. It's called Edolas. Mystogan is from there as well actually." What am I saying? I can't tell him everything! But my mouth continues to talk. "That's how I know you and Zeref are brothers and that you're END. But everything else is so different! Cana wasn't supposed to become an S-Class mage during the trials. No, on Tenrou Island, you were all supposed to get attacked by Grimoire Heart, a dark guild. The trials come to a halt. You win but then Acnologia comes and destroys the island. Mavis Vermillion, the first master of the guild, saves you all in one of her spells, Fairy Sphere. You're trapped there for seven years and while you're gone, Fairy Tail becomes the weakest guild in Fiore. You take place in something called the Grand Magic Games that determine the strongest guild. Of course, you win." I continue rambling, telling Natsu everything, all the arcs, and everything should have happened. "And that's what happened in Fairy Tail in my world," I finish. "Oh, and you didn't know anything about Zeref and being END. You found that out in that last arc I mentioned."

Natsu nods. "Either you're a very good liar," he says, "or you're telling the truth. That was quite a bit of detail."

"And now I'm stuck here," I say. "I joined the guild because that's something I wished I could do. But I don't belong here either. I think my being here messed the story up quite a bit." I sigh, feeling sadness over the book I never finished. "And my new book! I was in the middle of a really good plot twist when I came here. Anyway, I don't know if I do want to leave but I also don't belong here and who knows what else could happen if I stay! I mean, the story has already changed so much from what I know."

"My brother would know about other worlds more than I do," Natsu says. "In your story, where would Zeref be right now?"

I shrug. "I don't know. The story has changed too much. He might be on Tenrou Island. He was there when you took the S-Class trials." I pause. If the story has changed by quite a bit, is it possible that Mavis Vermillion never died? "Um, it's never said why he was there but I think it's because it's where Mavis's tomb is."

"The First Master's tomb," Natsu says thoughtfully. "She isn't buried there."

"No, I know," I say. "If Zeref isn't on Tenrou, then it's possible that he went back to the Alvarez Empire. He's the emperor there."

Natsu nods. "Then that's where we'll go," he says.

I stare. "How?" I demand. "We can't just leave! Can we?"

"I think there was a job request on the board," he replies. "Come on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts and comments on the story!


	4. Off to adventures with Team Natsu!

Natsu leans over the railing of the boat. We're on our way to the western continent. Since Natsu took a job, Team Natsu has to come with us. That could complicate things but for now, I am glad that I get to spend some time with my new guildmates. For some reason, Wendy is also sick. She wasn't supposed to get motion sickness until after Grandine leaves her body. I don't know what's going on anymore and I've given up trying to guess.

"Natsu," Erza says, "you didn't tell us much about this job."

For reply, Natsu thrusts his hand out, holding the job request. Erza takes it and reads it over. "Meet with the emperor for more details?" she reads. "Does anyone know who the emperor of Alvarez is?"

"I think his name is Spriggan," Lucy says. "But he's pretty mysterious. I've heard that he often disappears for years at a time. But he treats his citizens fairly."

I nod. That certainly sounds like Zeref. However, Lucy adds a bit of information that I didn't know of.

"I heard he has a wife and two children as well." I start. What? "But no one has really seen them. They probably stay in Alvarez if they even exist."

"How long has Spriggan been ruling?" Erza asks.

"For as long as the empire has been around. He doesn't age," Lucy says. "I think he may be an immortal."

"An immortal, huh?" Gray says. "Let's hope this doesn't turn into a fight, then. An immortal wouldn't be able to die and who knows how powerful this Spriggan is."

Very powerful. In fact, the only way to beat him might be Iced Shell but Natsu would stop Gray from doing that. He'd better. He stopped Gray every time in the anime.

Oh yeah. Remember earlier when I said I'm very forgetful? Not as bad as Natsu and forgetfulness although I don't know how that is now since he's not an idiot anymore. Anywho, I learned magic already. It's been a bit since I came to Fairy Tail. Hey, I did warn you that I'm forgetful. I am a fire mage. Not a Fire Dragon Slayer like Natsu. No, I just have regular fire magic. But that can come in handy. If Natsu is running low on magic power during a fight, I can give him some fire to eat.

We dock at the Alvarez Empire port. Erza shows one of the guards the job request. He directs us to the palace, warning us that the emperor might not be around. Erza thanks him for the warning and we head up toward the palace. I give Natsu a reassuring pat on the shoulder. For him, it's only been a few years since he's seen his brother after coming through the Eclipse portal. But for Zeref, it's been four hundred years since he's seen Natsu. There is no telling how he might react. He could be mad at Natsu for taking so long to see him.

The palace looms into view. We show the job request again to the guard. He pauses. "I'll have to ask Sir Invel," he says. "There's a certain protocol to get into the palace."

"Before you do that," Erza says, "is the emperor here? If he isn't, we don't want to waste a trip."

"Even if he isn't, Sir Invel can give you the details of the job," the soldier says. "Wait here." He disappears inside the palace.

I shift from foot to foot nervously as we wait. With canon diverging the way it is, I don't know how Zeref will be if we face him. Will he be completely insane and wanting to kill Natsu? Did he still want to die? Didn't Lucy say he has a wife and children? Who did he marry? Who would marry him?

The soldier comes back. He hands us a stack of papers. "Sir Invel requests that you fill these out before coming to meet with the emperor," he says.

"He's here?" Natsu asks. "The emperor is here?"

The soldier nods. "But you must fill the proper forms before meeting with him. Take a room in the city and come back in the morning."

We look at each other and nod. We're all bursting with curiosity as to what this job is and who the emperor is. Erza thanks the soldier and we head into the city. The soldier was nice and gave us an inn recommendation. Asking the citizens of Alvarez gives us the directions we need to get there. Luckily, there are plenty of rooms available. I guess the empire doesn't get a lot of visitors.

Lucy sits at a desk in the room, filling out the forms for us. We had taken one room, expecting not to be here for long. After all, if all goes to plan, we stay for one night.

"What will the emperor be like?" Wendy asks.

"That's some pretty high security to just get into the palace," Gray says. "Maybe he's not that powerful."

"We shouldn't dismiss him so easily," Erza says. "It's a possibility that he is _too_ powerful and the security is there to keep people safe."

Ya know, she isn't that far off from the truth. All of the security was put into place because Zeref couldn't control his curse. That is also why he spent years away from the palace. However, Lucy mentioned he was married with children so maybe he has control over his curse now. Who the heck knows? I have no idea what is happening anymore.

"Well, we'll find out tomorrow," Lucy says, setting aside her pen. "All done! Natsu, go with me to drop off the forms?"

Natsu shakes his head, sniffing the air. "There's something strange about this inn," he says. "Something smells weird. I'm gonna take a look around."

"Take Gray with you," Erza tells Natsu. "Emylia, go with Lucy. Wendy and I will stay in the room in case something happens here. Meet back in the room in one hour."

I nod and leave the room with Lucy. I've always liked the Celestial Wizard, and despite what some members of the fandom think, I think she's one of the strongest Fairy Tail mages. Y'all can fight me on it. Lucy leads the way through the city. It appears that she remembered the route we took to get from the palace to the inn. Good. If we had to rely on my memory, well, we'd end up lost for hours.

"Oh, you're back," the soldier says, looking bored.

Lucy hands over the forms. "We finished these," she says. "I figured I should bring them early in case there's anything else we need to do."

"I'll send these off to Sir Invel," the soldier replies, "and see you in the morning."

Lucy nods and we end off back to the inn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts and comments! Thanks! :)


	5. Meeting Zeref

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have quite a few chapters done already so I decided to post the first five and then post the other chapters once a week. Hopefully, each new chapter will be posted at the beginning of the week on Monday but there might be a delay if I catch up to where I'm at in the story. I like to give myself a bit of wiggle room by writing ahead so that if I can't write every day, I'll still have chapters to post. Enjoy the story!

We head back to the palace in the morning. The soldier from yesterday is there on duty again. He waves us in, giving us directions to the room we are supposed to meet in. I can tell the group is tense as we head into the palace. Erza has a hand raised slightly to the side, ready to call a weapon into her hand. Lucy has a hand hovering over her keys and one already in her other hand. The two Dragon Slayers don't have an obvious tell but from their postures, they are just as tense. Gray looks ready to ice make something. I don't have enough control over my magic to be useful in a fight yet. The only thing I could do is give fire to Natsu.

"There's the room," Lucy says quietly. "What's the plan?"

"Go in, I guess," Natsu says.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cries. Oh yeah. I forgot Happy and Carla were here with us. They haven't spoken much; maybe that's why.

"We don't know what's behind that door," Carla says. "We can't just barge in!"

The door suddenly opens and Invel Yura steps out. I tense. Had he heard us? He nods slightly to us. "I presume you are the mages who have come about that job," he says. "Your forms have been filled out properly. I am Invel Yura, the emperor's chief of staff. Come inside." He turns and goes inside the room.

We share a look and follow him inside. It's not a big room with a table in the center of the room and a map on it. More importantly, there's a dark-haired man dressed in black who turns as we enter. Zeref. The emperor is actually here in the palace.

"Emperor Spriggan," Invel says, gesturing to us, "these are the mages who have come about the job."

"Yes, thank you, Invel," Zeref says. You would think that the most feared black wizard of all time wouldn't have that gentle soft voice that Zeref has.

I sneak a look at Natsu. The fire Dragon Slayer is looking anywhere except at his brother. Zeref is also quite pointedly ignoring Natsu. Uh oh. This isn't how I thought this interaction was going to go. I wonder what is going through each brother's head right now. Did they leave on bad terms with each other? I need answers!!!

"If I may," Erza says, "what is the job you need us to do?"

At that moment, the door bursts open and two young children come running in. I recognize them as Larcade and August from the random pictures I've seen of them as young children. Mavis, the First Master herself, comes running in after them.

"August! Larcade!" Mavis calls. "Come back here!"

It's strange to see the Fairy Tactician chasing around kids. It is not something I ever imagined her doing. Larcade and August giggle as they run to Zeref. This is too weird.

"Boys, we have to leave your father to his work," Mavis says. She glances at us. "Do you need any help?"

It doesn't seem like the Fairy Tail members recognize Mavis but she should know the guildmark that is visible on Natsu's shoulder and Gray's chest. She knows who we are.

"No, Invel and I are fine," Zeref says. "August, Larcade, go with your mother."

"We wanna stay!" Larcade cries, throwing his arms around Zeref's legs.

Zeref glances at us. Erza nods. "I have no problem with them staying here," she says. We nod our agreement.

"Very well," Invel says. "There have been reports of bandits rampaging in the country. Normally, we would send soldiers to take care of them but they are needed for other things currently. That is why we decided to ask for the aid of a guild. The reward is 150,000 jewel for each of you."

That is a lot of money. Lucy looks excited. If memory serves, I believe that is a couple of months' rent for her.

"We'll take the job," Erza says.

"Very good," Invel says. "You can head out later."

"But, it's still the beginning of the day," I say. "Can we head out now?"

Invel shakes his head. "The bandits tend to strike at dawn. You'll want to catch them in the act."

"Can we play with them?" August asks.

"No, leave them to their work," Zeref tells them. "Invel, show them to a room they can stay in. When it's closer to the time when the bandits strike, we will show you their location."

Invel leads us from the room and into the palace. I glance back at Zeref. Would he hold the answers to help me get back home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts and comments! Thanks! :)


	6. Bonding with Natsu,  guess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, it's not Monday but I just realized that the Wattpad version has 6 chapters published and I wanna be able to upload the same chapter on both sites so here's an extra chapter before Monday comes. Enjoy! :)

The room we get in the palace is quite nice and spacious. Per Erza's request, we are all rooming together. After all, we are in a strange, unknown place. It's for safety. Besides, we don't know if Zeref is evil in this timeline or if he's good. I mean, he is apparently married to Mavis and has two children but there have been evil warlords who have kids, right? 

The room reminds me of the room at the inn the team stays at in the GMGs arc. There are beds set up perpendicular to the wall and enough for each of us. It kind of looks like a military barrack room or something. Erza sends Gray, Happy, and Lucy back to the inn we were staying at to get our stuff. She, Wendy, and Carla go off to explore the palace, leaving me and Natsu alone. Good. We have things to discuss.

"So," I say, sitting on one of the beds. "You saw your brother again after, how many years?"

"It's been three thousand years for him." Natsu sinks into a chair by the door. "Not as long for me. He doesn't seem pleased with me. We didn't leave on such good terms."

"Can I ask what happened?"

He shakes his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. Well, how are we going to ask him about other worlds and see if there's a way to get me home? I mean, that was one of our reasons for coming here."

Natsu sighs. "I'll see if I can get an audience with him somehow. He's gonna summon me anyway eventually. You can either come along or stay behind. It doesn't matter. I just need to ask him about other worlds."

I nod. A thought strikes me as my mind wanders. "Hey, didn't you say something smelled weird at the inn we were staying at? You went exploring with Gray."

Natsu perks up. "Hey, that's right," he says. "In all the excitement and nervousness, I completely forgot!" There's a bit of the lovable idiot Natsu I know now. "The smell led down into the basement. But it was locked and we couldn't barge in without alerting the entire inn. Gray said that Erza would have our heads if we did that. I have to tell her when she gets back." He leans back into the chair. "Maybe we'll have to stay in the empire a while longer to check out that weird smell."

I nod, grinning. "I've always wanted to explore the empire," I say. "We don't see enough of it in the anime. In my world, I mean."

"I wanna know how Zeref managed to create this empire. It's only been around for the last hundred years or so. And why he created it. He hates leadership and the duties that come with it."

Huh. I don't think the anime mentioned that detail about Zeref. I wonder if the manga did. I wish I had my phone with me so I could look up the fandom wiki. Would my phone even work in Earthland? They had the lacrimas that worked like a phone although that was in the final season. I don't know where in the timeline we are so I don't know if they have such lacrimas currently.

"Your Fire magic," Natsu says. "You know you have it but have you used it?"

I shake my head. "Not a whole lot," I say. "Porlyuscia helped me to figure out some basic spells but if we have to fight any time soon, the only thing I'll be useful for is giving you fire to eat."

"Let's go practice," Natsu says, bouncing to his feet. He smacks his fist against his palm. "Come on! There has to be a practice place here!"

I grin and run after him out the door. "Slow down!" I call. "Who do we have to talk to?"

"That stuck-up dude with the blue hair," Natsu replies. 

"Oh! Invel!" 

"Yeah, him! Where the hell is he?"

"Not around here," I say. "Maybe someone else can help us? What about Mavis?"

"Who?"

Whoops. I forgot they don't know who Mavis is. Why did I even suggest Mavis in the first place? I call myself an idiot in every language I know. 

"Um, you know," I say casually, trying to find a way to change the subject.

"Wait, are you talking about Mavis Vermillion? She's the founder of Fairy Tail but why would she be helpful here?"

"Have you ever seen a picture of her?" I ask.

"Yeah, once. We took a job from Warren who helped found Fairy Tail." I see the gears turning in Natsu's head as he thinks. It's good to know that he still has his forgetful tendencies and he is sometimes the Natsu we all know and love. His jaw drops. "Wait. That girl chasing those two children, that was Mavis? What the hell is she doing here?" His eyes narrow as he looks at me. "You know something, don't you?"

"Wellllll..." I make vague hand gestures. "Yes? Technically, I do. Um, but I think I'm already messing up the story enough by being here so can we just find the training grounds?"

"What the hell do you know?" He takes a step toward me and I back away, raising my hands.

"I think that's a question you should ask your brother," I say. "Besides, I don't fully know what's happened anymore. In my world, in the story, there is never a point where Mavis is living in the Alvarez Empire. No, she was kind of, sorta, maybe dead."

"Kind of, sorta, maybe dead?" Natsu repeats.

"Go talk to your brother about her," I say. "I can't go into details because it is way too much and too long. Talk to him after we find the training ground?"

"Training ground, you say?" a new voice enters the conversation. I turn to see who interrupted. I believe that is Dimaria, one of the Spriggan 12. "I'll show you where it is on one condition."

Natsu rolls his eyes. "Fine. What's your condition?"

She points at Natsu. "I've heard of you. The Salamander himself. I'll show you to the training ground if you agree to duel me."

Natsu grins. Oh, boy. Of course, he agrees! Why wouldn't he? He's Natsu! Anyway, Dimaria shows us to the training ground outside. Natsu is going to have trouble, I know that much. Dimaria's magic is that she can stop time for the people around her, making it seem like she can teleport when, in fact, everyone is just standing still. I pass this piece of information to Natsu quietly as we walk. It might help him, it might not.

I end up being the one to referee the duel. I don't know what I'm doing! I stand in the middle of the arena, holding a white flag above my head. Natsu and Dimaria stand on opposite sides of the ring, facing each other.

"Ready?" I shout. "Begin!" I wave the flag down and leap out of the way as Natsu charges.

Dimaria smirks and suddenly she's behind Natsu, kicking him in the back. He stumbles forward. Fire sparks around his closed fist as he swings, shouting, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu's only chance at defeating Dimaria is to attack her before she could react. His fist hits empty air as Dimaria shifts a few inches to the left. I clench my fists as I watch. Can Natsu beat Dimaria? She was defeated in my plotline because Ultear helped Wendy and Sherria move within Dimaria's stopped time. I think Natsu might have defeated Dimaria at one point in the anime when Dimaria was torturing Lucy. I think he had turned into E.N.D. to defeat her. Welp, he can't do that here. If he turns into E.N.D. and someone from Fairy Tail sees him, it'll raise a whole bunch of questions. But it might be the only way he can beat Dimaria.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu bellows, fire streaming out of his mouth. Dimaria suddenly appears behind Natsu again and lands a blow on the Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu!" I cry out. I know he's fine. It's Natsu, after all. And Dimaria can't kill him, not without facing the wrath of the emperor. Hopefully...

"Ha, she's tough," Natsu says. He grins. "But I'm getting all fired up now!"

"Natsu," I whisper. "I don't know if this will help you but in my plotline, you defeated Dimaria when you activated your Etherious form." I glance around. "It looks like we're alone."

Natsu shakes his head, sniffing the air. "I smell Erza nearby," he says. "Can't risk it."

"Can you tell where she is?" I ask. "I can go distract her and keep her from seeing you transform."

"Distract Erza?" Natsu says thoughtfully. "It might work."

Pause the story real quick. You see, dear audience, Natsu and I have forgotten one key detail about this duel. We're both forgetful, remember that. Dimaria never said that Natsu had to win against her. All he had to do was duel her. So, we've been doing this elaborate planning to get him into his Etherious form when he doesn't _have_ to do that at all. And we're already here at the training grounds. All right, resume the story.

"But distract her with what?" I whisper. "Strawberry cake? Do you think the kitchen can make it for her?"

I yelp as Dimaria suddenly appears near us and her fist connects with Natsu's jaw. The Dragon Slayer reacts quickly and slams a flaming fist into Dimaria's stomach. She grunts. I whoop, pumping a fist into the air. Natsu finally landed a hit on her! Maybe it is possible for him to win without using his E.N.D. form.

Natsu charges forward, fire shooting from his fists. I've seen him use it before in the anime. It increases his speed. He must be trying to hit Dimaria before she can react. Well, it works.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu yells, throwing a powerful uppercut straight into Dimaria's chin. He combos it with a kick to her side, sending the time mage flying.

"Yes!" I shout victoriously. But Dimaria is made of tougher stuff than that. It'll take more than one punch from Natsu to knock her out. Dimaria shifts but Natsu shifts with her. What? Did he activate his Etherious form? When I look, he is his normal human self. Then what had that shift been? I blink and Dimaria is suddenly flat on her back, unconscious. Natsu grins. I stare, shocked. What just happened?

"Well, now we can train," Natsu says, turning to me.

"Uh, should we just leave her like that?" I ask, pointing at Dimaria.

Natsu glances at the unconscious body and then moves her to the edge of the arena. I sigh and activate my magic. 

"Fireball!" I shout with my hand out, palm forward. As the name of the spell suggests, it's a fireball. Surprise! It's a small fireball but a fireball nonetheless. I sigh. "That's all I can do for now."

"Then let's make you stronger!" Natsu says enthusiastically. 

*Cue training montage* Yeah, nothing to see here really. We only had a matter of hours to get me strong enough to fight against the bandits. After training with Natsu all day, I am exhausted. But the size of my fireballs is a bit bigger and I can throw them in waves of three. And I am able to do a new spell, Hellfire. The sun is starting to set. We're supposed to meet with Invel and Zeref again to get the location of the bandits soon. I sigh, standing and wiping away sweat with my sleeve. Luckily, I have a new wardrobe that Mira helped me get. Yeah, I forgot to mention that, didn't I? 

I run back to our room where the rest of Team Natsu has already gathered. I yelp, not expecting to see them here.

"Where have you been?" Erza asks. "It's almost time with to meet with the emperor."

"Sorry. I was training," I say, hurrying to a side room to change quickly.

"With Flame Brain over there?" Gray asks.

Natsu opens his mouth to retort but Erza speaks first, probably to stop a fight from breaking out. "Since we're all here now, let's go!"

We leave the room and head to meet with Zeref and Invel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts and comments. They'll be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)


	7. Time to fight bandits!

The location where the bandits usually strike is a couple of hours away from the center of the city where we are. Zeref loans us a carriage and horses to travel there. Natsu lays on one of the seats, moaning. Wendy is not doing much better. I sit out on the roof of the carriage, next to Erza who's driving the horses. Lucy tends to Natsu inside the carriage while Gray helps Wendy. I sigh, leaning back and looking up to the night sky. There are so many stars! I had never seen so many stars in the sky before. City lights blocked everything out, but out here, I can see everything.

The ride is spent in silence. There's not much to talk about anyway. We had discussed strategy before we left and we'll discuss it some more when we arrive at the spot. We left early enough that we would be at the spot before the bandits. 

"All right, here's the spot." Erza draws the carriage to a halt. "We'll hide in the bushes. Invel said the merchant will be passing through here in about thirty minutes. Get a good hiding spot."

I crouch in a bush with Natsu and Lucy. I feel like I should move and give my ship some time to spend together. But Erza told me earlier to stay close to Natsu in battles in case I need to give him some fire. I doubt this fight will last long enough for that but it’s always best to be safe.

The rattling of wagon wheels catches my attention. The merchant appears in view with his goods in his wagon. He was told by Invel of the dangers and knows that we are in the bushes although he doesn't know where. He pauses in the middle of the road, faking a broken wheel. He hops off the seat and walks around to the back to "fix" the wheel. Dark figures emerge from the forest, creeping toward him. We wait for the signal from Erza to attack. The bandits fall upon the merchant.

"Go!" Erza shouts. We rush from the bushes. I activate my magic, lighting my fist on fire and slugging a bandit across the face.

Lucy shouts, "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" 

"Ice Make: Hammer!"

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Requip: Heaven's Wheel!"

I stand to the back, making sure the merchant is okay. Team Natsu has got the fight in the bag. Besides, I'm not nearly as powerful as the rest of them. The fight against the bandits is over before I can say boo. We tie them up and load them into the merchant's wagon as well as our own. We have to bring them back to the capital for Zeref to pass punishment on them.

I ride with the merchant and Gray as we head back to the palace. I sigh quietly. The fight had been over really fast but I had hoped for a slightly longer fight. I also wish that I could have joined in the fight and really used my power but the only thing I did was punching a bandit in the face. My hand still hurt slightly. I clutch it with my good hand, trying to ignore the throbbing pain. If it’s not better by morning, I’ll probably ask Wendy to heal it for me.

Back in Vistarion, the capital of the empire, we deliver the bandits to Zeref. Invel nods approvingly. Is this man always going to be hanging around here? Well, I guess yes since he is the chief of staff. Mavis is also here this time for some reason.

"Thank you for helping the Alvarez Empire with this," Zeref says. "I know our two countries haven't had the best of relations over the past years."

"We are happy to help," Lucy says. I can tell that she's thinking about that reward. 150,000 jewel is quite a bit of money.

Invel hands us each a sack that jingles when I shake it. "As promised, 150,000 jewel for each of you," he says.

We thank him and turn to leave. Natsu hesitates, glancing at Zeref. I pause. Is he going to risk letting Gray and Erza know that he's related to Zeref? It seems like their backstories haven't changed so Gray and Erza still would feel a strong hatred toward Zeref. However, something unspoken seems to pass between the brothers and Natsu nods before following us out. The rest of Team Natsu didn't even notice. Or so I thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts in the comment. It's greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading this! It's my first published fanfiction so please feel free to leave feedback and what you liked, disliked, and what I can do to improve this story. All I ask is that you keep it polite. Thanks! :)


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